1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of recovering gold from a raw material containing gold. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method of recovering gold from a raw material having a wide range of gold content, i.e., from a small percentage of gold, such as less than 1%, to a high percentage, over 75%.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, an electrolytic refining method or a method employing cyanide have been used to recover gold from a raw material containing a small percentage of gold. The electrolytic technique, however, had the disadvantage in that the pH of the liquid in the electrolytic cell was difficult to control and, further, that the gold could not be recovered in a highly efficient manner, since a large quantity of metals other than gold in the raw material were dissolved in the electrolytic liquid. The method employing cyanide was difficult to perform in a practical manner, since the gold was contained in a slurry of plastic, etc., and since the recovery process consisted primarily of a filtration step.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method of recovering gold having a high efficiency and producing gold of a high purity from a raw material without affecting the components of the gold-containing material other than the gold itself.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the undergoing specification and claims.